


Honey and Milk

by Jaskier (ASCLEPIAS)



Category: Heart no Kuni no Alice | Alice in the Country of Hearts
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:28:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24608443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASCLEPIAS/pseuds/Jaskier
Summary: A series of loosely connected short stories about a blossoming relationship between Peter and Ace, after Alice came to and left from Wonderland.
Relationships: Ace/Peter White (Heart no Kuni no Alice)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 6





	1. Chapter 1

If one were to ask Peter his opinion on Ace, he would describe the young man as horrible at his best and unspeakably so at his worst. Firstly, the man had no sense of direction to speak of, which in and of itself often resulted in the Prime Minister being forced to undertake extra work in his stead. And, as if that wasn’t enough, much of his slacking took place in the woods--the filthy, animal-infested woods. Not to mention his overly friendly attitude, his associations with the Clockmaker, his blasé approach to his role...

And yet, once again the rabbit seemed to find himself right there alongside the knight. Somehow, willingly.

Peter took great care to avoid even so much as grazing the trees and overgrown brush with his gloved hands unless absolutely necessary to steady himself, but Ace was cheerfully lumbering on ahead of him without a care in the world. How he tolerated always being so covered in germs, the younger man would never understand.

“I’m pre~tty sure it’s this way,” Ace said, with little confidence. Peter resisted the urge to scream with frustration. Not long ago if he’d been invited on such an excursion as this by _anyone_ he would have refused, but for some reason as of late he found himself...

As much as he hated to admit it, for lack of better words he was enjoying his time with the knight.

Peter had done his best for a while to try and convince himself it was purely to fill the void that had been left by Alice’s departure from their world; just a way to ease the loneliness. But that was becoming harder and harder for even himself to believe. It wasn’t like he came out here for the sights--green, green, and more green was hardly interesting, even if he could separate nature from its microscopic denizens.

“If you say it’s this way, we should probably do the opposite,” he grumbled, pointing in the direction from which they’d just come. “You’ve the homing instincts of a brick.”

Ace laughed, pleasantly. “Don’t be mean, Peter! I promise, it’s gonna be worth it!”

“Easy for you to say; I’ll never be able to wash this filth off of me.”

As much as he had come to enjoy the company of the knight after the Outsider practically forced them to spend more time together, he could never enjoy the dirt and grime and bugs and sweat that resulted from these “adventures”.

Still, at least the knight had assured him that--assuming he managed to find the place in question--whatever it was he intended to show the Prime Minister was not so far away they wouldn’t be able to get back to the Castle to clean up in a reasonable amount of time. Peter had, of course, taken great care in memorizing the path they took, too, because he had no intentions of camping out no matter how charmed he was by his colleague.

“If you’ve gotten us lost,” the rabbit continued whining, “only one of us will be returning to the Castle later.”

“Aw, come on, you wouldn’t kill your boyfriend would ya?” Ace continued forward nonchalantly, but he realized after a moment that his companion had stopped dead in his tracks.

 _“Boyfriend?_ When did we say anything about that--!”

He was furious with himself for blushing, and moreover for not entirely hating the idea.

The knight tilted his head inquisitively. “Oh, did I read things wrong? You’re such a germaphobe and all I figured you wouldn’t be into casual se--”

“Quiet, you dimwit!” Peter’s cheeks were becoming as red as his eyes at the reminder that he had so succumbed to... _that._ He’d barely even gotten to kiss Alice, and she was the love of his life, so why _Ace_ of all people...!

At that, Ace doubled back to loom over the flustered man, seeming somehow more imposing to him now compared to even their most intense of battles in the past. He slid off his own glove and with his now bare hand very gently caressed the other’s face. “I guess you are a rabbit though, huh?” He laughed again. “I guess I’m surprised you’d keep tagging along with me, too, though, if you weren’t into me.”

Peter, yet again, wanted to scream.

It was certainly true he’d gotten a soft spot for time spent with the knight since Alice left, and sure he’d been working on at least overcoming his phobia a _bit_ after trying so hard when she’d been there, and maybe he _did_ find him at least a little charming. That didn’t mean he could just assume they were dating, though, a fact to which he quickly gave voice to.

Ace paused when he did. “Irony’s kinda lost on you, isn’t it?” he joked. “Well, anyway, guess I just blew my chance at a cool confession then, huh...” He removed his hand from the rabbit’s face and went on through the already trampled path he’d been on to continue their journey.

Cheeks still red, but regrettably with no intention of turning around just yet, Peter carried on behind him as they had been. “You’ll simply have to find a way to _really_ impress me,” he mumbled, just loud enough for the knight to hear him over the crunching of branches and shuffling of leaves around them.

“Duly noted.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW for compulsive self harm

It didn’t matter how ferociously he scrubbed at his hands, how much soap and scalding water he poured onto them, how long he leaned over the marble sink; he knew he wouldn’t feel clean, but it didn’t matter.

“Damn it, damn it, _damn it_ ,” Peter’s voice grew to a frustrated shout as he mumbled curses to himself.

Long ago, something like this was his normal. It killed him to have fallen back so sharply into a routine he’d been _sure_ he could avoid now, after working so hard at mitigating this. By now he’d given dozens of handshakes even without his gloves on, held his Ace’s hands while traversing the filthy outdoors even, so why couldn’t he just let this go?

The water was burning his already agitated skin, but the rabbit was far beyond the ability to control himself. His body was on autopilot, at the whims of some deep, primally-fearful piece of his mind that would rather tear itself to shreds than risk that bacteria daring to remain upon it.

Bacteria placed there by such a sweet, innocent kiss by his lover. So why now, he thought frantically, was he so gripped by this compulsion?

His knuckles were bleeding and anger at himself combined with the stinging pain had the young man in tears--not sobbing, but a numb, dissociated sort of crying--when there was a knock on the restroom door.

“Hey, Peter, you okay? You’ve been in there an awful long time,” the knight’s familiar voice asked from the other side. The rabbit grew only more anxious as the desire to calm himself and become presentable again doubled.

“Yes,” he called back simply, clipping the word to keep from trembling.

“I’m coming in.” Before the prime minister could protest, his partner made good on the declaration, closing the door behind himself but remaining close to it. “You don’t look okay, at all.”

Of course he didn’t. That was why he’d been hiding away.

“I am. This isn’t anything unusual.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, even if he hated to admit that this was part of his normal. “I’m sure I can stop soon.”

“Is there anything I can do?”

“No. It’s... I’m afraid it’s out of my hands, as well.”

“I’m sorry for doing that; I should’ve asked if it was okay.”

“No, it was okay,” Peter assured him. He meant it--a kiss on his hand from a cherished person was a precious gift, one he’d never have had the heart to say no to. “It’s me that isn’t okay. Damn it, I thought I was getting better...!”

Ace was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again, softly. “You are. Even the strongest soldier has an off day, though, you know.” It wasn’t any unique or profound sentiment, but it was appreciated, more than the rabbit was equipped to express in that moment. The silence between the two carried that feeling, too, until finally he was able to pry his hands from the water and relax once more.

He let the remaining water drip away until the now blistered skin was dry and eventually turned to look at his lover, who leaned patiently against the door behind him. He wanted desperately to hug him, but for now words would have to suffice.

“Thank you, Ace.”

With a warm smile, the knight responded simply, “Any time.”


	3. Chapter 3

“White.”

The Queen’s booming voice was as unpleasant as ever, though the rabbit had a feeling it would be twofold so soon enough. It was rare for her to seek her subordinates out for anything but work-related matters or spontaneous executions, even after their beloved Outsider had encouraged the territory’s role-holders to spend more time together.

Since Alice had returned home, Vivaldi had been in an even more sour mood than usual, too.

“Yes, Your Majesty? Why have you called me here, exactly?” he replied, the disinterested edge in his voice undermining any facade of respect. It wasn’t like it was by any particular merit that she outranked him; it was just another function of the Game.

In fact, he could think of few, if any, reasons to respect her at all beyond what his role required.

“Your insolence knows no bounds,” the woman grumbled distastefully, but to his surprise she didn’t follow it with a threat to have him beheaded. “You and the knight--we wish to know the nature of your relationship.”

Peter was, admittedly, at least somewhat surprised she’d noticed anything out of the ordinary. Aside from where the Outsider’s influence had come into play, the role holders really didn’t make a habit of paying mind to one another’s daily lives, much less romantic affairs.

Intrigued by what angle the Queen was getting at, his ears twitched inquisitively. “What? Why do you wish to know? Whose bed I take to is not of your concern.” Though he couldn’t think of any other particular instances he could recall of any strong bonds between his peers, it wasn’t like there was any rule against it, and besides that the three of them were--technically speaking--allies.

Again to his surprise, the older woman simply laughed, her serious expression suddenly softening in a way he’d not seen in a long time.

“Your suspicion in us is unfounded, White; we wish only to grant you our blessing, if we are correct in our assessment.”

“Your... blessing?” Had she really called him there just to voice approval? It seemed highly uncharacteristic of the distant and bloodthirsty woman he’d become used to working under.

“Indeed. You have both become far more tolerable as of late; we are pleased with this development.” Vivaldi furrowed her brow as she spoke, seeming almost as perplexed by her own words as her subordinate was. “Perhaps we’ve grown too soft. Speak of this to no one, White.”

The exchange was oddly kind, oddly straightforward--yet in the following time cycle as he lay on his bed reflecting, Peter couldn’t bring himself to read too deeply into it. “It seems you’re still here with us, after all, aren’t you, my love?” the rabbit said out loud, though he was alone in his room. “Thank you.”

Perhaps wherever she was now, Alice would feel his gratitude.


	4. Chapter 4

Alice had been right all along--Peter had cherished her, and he would never say his feelings were anything short of love; still, as he gazed into the knight’s gentle eyes it was finally clear to him that his love for her had been a different kind than this.

It was warm and golden and pure and soft, a sort of reflection of what she’d felt for him before he’d brought her to his world. But with Ace, it was as red and hot as the rabbit’s flushed cheeks. It consumed every fiber of his being, made him practically go mad as evidenced by the pair’s reckless forest escapades and, more recently, the increasingly frequent sleepless nights they shared.

The knight, suddenly donning a mischievous smile, grasped the rabbit across his back and pulling the smaller man from his side up so he was now lying atop his partner’s body. “There, now you’ve got a better view,” he cooed, looking satisfied having flustered Peter more. “Unless you’re starin’ at me like that while daydreaming about someone else?”

He knew Ace was only teasing, and besides that he was about as interested in strict monogamy as in asking for directions, but he still wasn’t about to admit that, in a manner of speaking, that had been exactly what he was doing.

“Of course not, Love.” He folded his arms over his boyfriend’s chest and rested his chin on them, getting more comfortable by draping his legs off to one side. The knight reached up to stroke one of Peter’s ears idly after he’d adjusted himself. “You’re lucky I tolerate _your_ germs; the risk of disease would grow exponentially if I started sleeping around.”

He meant it to be a joke, but it was an honest sentiment. In a million cycles the prime minister would not have imagined being willing to exchange fluids with _anyone,_ much less to _desire_ as much with a polyamorous vagabond like Ace. And yet, there he was, sharing his bed with him, having gleefully invited him into his room which was a safe haven for his neuroses.

Ace moved on from petting his ears to running his fingers through the younger man’s equally-soft white hair. “That’s funny, you seemed _rabid_ last time~.”

“If I was rabid, do you think I’d have been so meticulous?”

He chuckled. “Good point. But it’s kinda scary if you’re just normally that mean.”

Although his reputation for being a calculating, blackhearted villain had softened after rumors of the two role holders’ relationship began to spread, it was surprising to hear what he’d been doing ‘scary’ to any degree.

Compared to what Peter _wanted_ to do, anyway.

Ace’s hand slowly made its way down the rabbit’s back, lifting his untucked dress shirt at the bottom and exposing some of his back--and his tail, which the knight made a point of tugging on just a bit too roughly, his eyes narrowing as if it were some sort of challenge.

And with that as his invitation, Peter raised himself up so he could loom over his partner more, the young man’s own expression turning serious despite the comfortable warmth of the atmosphere between the two not changing. “You really want me to show you just how mean I can be, don’t you?” he asked, clenching the collar of his lover’s shirt tightly enough to make him lift his head from the bed slightly.

“What can I say? I’m just dying to see what a cute little bunny like you’s _really_ capable of.”


End file.
